OLDER-PEOPLE - THE RESERVE ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS - AN ANALYSIS OF VOLUNTEERISM AMONG OLDER AUSTRALIANS

In Australia, as in other Western countries, policy-makers are turning their attention to older people, particularly the early retired, as a rich potential source of volunteers. This study examines volunteer be havior in a sample of older Australians in either their immediate pre or post retirement phase. It involves a secondary analysis of data col lected for a study on retirement, and seeks to examine the main social and demographic differences between those who volunteer and those who do not. The key concepts associated with volunteering are the availab ility of 1) time and 2) social and personal resources. Logistic regres sion analyses revealed that volunteers are significantly more likely t o come from the higher occupational classes, are less likely to be sel f-employed, and are more likely to view their health positively. Impli cations of these results for social policy are discussed.